Educational Policy Seminar Series: Diverse Paths to College Success

Boston University's Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies and the Wheelock Educational Policy Center are excited to host leading scholars this fall for an Ed Policy Seminar Series.

All are welcome. The seminar series is geared towards an academic audience and will include detailed and technical discussion about methods used in the research, in addition to the policy context and implications.

On September 24, Sarah Cohodes (University of Michigan) will speak on "Diverse Paths to College Success: The Impact of Massachusetts' Urban and Nonurban Charter Schools on College Trajectories."

Abstract: The charter school movement encompasses many school models. In Massachusetts in the 2010's, the site of our study, urban charter schools primarily used "No Excuses" practices, whereas nonurban charters had greater model variety. Using randomized admissions lotteries, we estimate the impact of charter schools by locality on college preparation, enrollment, and graduation. Urban charter schools boost all of these outcomes. Nonurban charter schools raise college enrollment and graduation despite reducing state test scores and AP enrollment. Our results suggest that there is more than one path to a college degree and that test score impacts may not predict college outcomes.

Bio: Sarah Cohodes is an associate professor of public policy at the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan. She holds a PhD in Public Policy from Harvard University. She is a Research Associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research and a co-editor at the Journal of Public Economics. Her research uses quantitative causal inference methods to evaluate policies and programs that are intended to increase access to high-quality education. Her past positions include Visiting Scholar at the Opportunity & Inclusive Growth Institute at the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, co-editor at the Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, and Associate Professor of Economics and Education and Program Director of Economics and Education at Teachers College.